Ivy Tech pushes for delayed grad-ification

Should transfer students from Ivy Tech Community College receive associate degrees when they reach enough credits while working toward bachelor's degrees at other Indiana institutions?

Ivy Tech says that move could boost education attainment levels across the state and benefit students who drop out before they reach bachelor's degrees.

But in pitching the idea at a state board of trustees meeting Thursday, Ivy Tech officials singled out what they saw as an uncooperative partner: Indiana University.

Though open to the idea, IU says these reverse articulation agreements are not that simple.

It raises questions, IU executive vice president for university academic affairs John Applegate said, of fairness and money.

But, he added: "If they (Ivy Tech) were that concerned, I wish they had contacted us about it.

"We don't have any moral objections to reverse transfer or associate degrees," Applegate said. "All we were saying is, let's talk about the funding."

What concerned him, he said, was whether recognition would be given to IU for educating students as schools compete for state dollars under the performance funding model.

Ivy Tech's proposed reverse articulation agreement would apply to students who earned at least 15 credits at Ivy Tech and then transferred to another Indiana public university in pursuit of a bachelor's degree, which is at least 120 credits.

But once they hit the right amount of total credits for an associate degree – at least 60 – they could be eligible to receive an Ivy Tech credential.

So a student could complete just a quarter of the required coursework through Ivy Tech – and still end up with an Ivy Tech degree.

That would mean the other institution – such as IU – has undertaken most of the cost to educate the student, which Ivy Tech can now claim as a graduate.

With the state increasingly emphasizing funding institutions based on student success, that could mean Ivy Tech records higher graduation rates, possibly at IU's expense.

Basically: IU does the heavy lifting – and Ivy Tech gets the credit.

With the state's increasing move toward funding institutions based on student success, Ivy Tech counting that student as a graduate could mean IU loses out on state dollars.

But there's probably an easy fix, Applegate said, if the state weighs how much of the degree came from which institutions and dealt out credit accordingly.

Applegate said Ivy Tech officials never contacted him after he outlined his concerns in an email to the state higher education commission with Ivy Tech's academic affairs chief copied on it.

Ivy Tech president Tom Snyder, who has been appealing for $83 million more in public dollars for the statewide community college system, said IU shouldn't fret so much about the money logistics.

"Our concept is, performance funding should not be the driver," he said, pointing to rewarding persistence and enabling students to earn "stackable" credentials as greater priorities.

Ivy Tech estimates about 10,000 students a year could earn associate degrees through this type of reverse transfer.

IU says it handles the bulk of those students, magnifying how much the school stands to lose if the degrees aren't weighted in the funding metrics.

Ivy Tech's second-in-command Jeff Terp said it wouldn't matter to him if those "reverse transfer" students didn't count at all toward the community college's graduation rates.

A reverse articulation agreement is already being piloted by Indiana State University with the Wabash Valley region of Ivy Tech.

"It makes them (students) that much more marketable. It gives them that much more confidence. It gives them that much more motivation," said Ron Payne, associate director in the admissions office. "If you're in the business of student success, it's all good."

But, he readily admits, in his job, he doesn't have to worry over the politics of it all.